Alan Bennett knows less about his own television plays than a Mastermind
contestant who chose the writer's work as his specialist subject.

Questions about Bennett's productions will feature in tonight's quiz on BBC Two as the specialist subject for Robin Seavill, a puzzle compiler with the Press Association.

In a challenge for the Front Row arts programme last night, Bennett attempted to answer the same questions as Mr Seavill and performed worse. After two minutes of questions put by Mark Lawson, the writer of Talking Heads achieved fewer correct answers and more passes than the man in the black chair.

Eventually, Bennett scored a higher total, but he was given seven more questions than Mr Seavill and was answering for more than three-and-a-half minutes. Comparing the two-minute sections, Mr Seavill was four points ahead. Mastermind producers did not wish to reveal Mr Seavill's actual score to preserve the tension of tonight's programme.

Asked how it felt to be the subject of Mastermind questions, Bennett said: "It makes you feel dead – but lots of things do that."